PANAMA CITY— It’s official. Bay County will build a new boat ramp at Crooked Creek on a piece of land recently donated by the St. Joe Co.

The County Commission voted 4-1 Wednesday to put the boat ramp on the 7.56-acre parcel, ending the confusion that arose last meeting when the property was accepted. Though the land was to be used for “recreational purposes,” the commission did not specify that meant a boat ramp.

Ongoing discussion and complaints by “Friends of Crooked Creek” prompted the commission to clear up the ambiguity Wednesday, as Commissioner Mike Nelson requested the issue be added to the agenda during the meeting.

“I know it’s been controversial,” he said, prior to making a motion to build the boat ramp on the property.

Nelson’s motion included tearing down an existing boat ramp at County 388, once the new one is finished. Commissioners have said the current boat ramp has been a safety issue as cars enter and leave the road.

The new boat ramp would sit less than a mile away from the existing one. Commissioner Mike Thomas, who has been the driving force behind the project, spoke in defense of its creation. He addressed the concerns of two who voiced opposition to the boat ramp, saying the property was not suitable.

“It’s the site that was offered us by St. Joe. I can tell you it is suitable because it’s dry,” he said.

Also Thomas said the people who live in RiverCamps on Crooked Creek have access to a boat ramp inside their gated community, which benefits only a few.

“All of the citizens of Bay County ought to have the same right to get in that water as you do,” he said.

Thomas said he has been working on getting a boat ramp on Crooked Creek for six years. He said two or three times he’s given updates on the progress and in June or July of 2012 he told the commission the property had been secured and the transfer process had begun.

“This has not been a sneak attack by anybody. It’s been going on for six years. Never heard a word (of opposition) until three or four weeks ago,” he said.

But Barbara Gudgel, a member of “Friends of Crooked Creek,” said that was not the case. After the meeting, she said since last summer residents have been sending letters to commissioners opposing the boat ramp.

Gudgel said she was “shocked” by the commission’s decision and said no due diligence had been done. She said the boat ramp’s cost would be huge.

During the meeting, Gudgel and Jennifer Wolgamott spoke out against the project. Wolgamott, an architect and member of “Friends of Crooked Creek,” said the boat ramp would cost $2 million. She said to meet county specifications the boat ramp would run 212 feet and would require paving TiTi Road, which would be used to access it.

“The site is unsuitable,” she said.

But after the meeting, Thomas said that figure is “very high,” and he said if the cost exceeds $50,000 the county staff must go before the commission for approval.

“We’re not spending anywhere near what they’re talking about,” he said.

According to county spokeswoman Valerie Sale, the preliminary estimate for the boat ramp and park is $475,000. She said the cost estimate depends on how much work can be done in-house.

The ramp will be paid for with two pots of county money — the boater improvement fund and park impact fees, Sale said. The boater improvement fund has $348,180 in it, and that money comes from the state’s Boating Improvement Program. Park impact fees total $1.8 million.

After the meeting, Gainer explained his no vote. He said he was all for taking the property but thought more research should have been done before deciding to build the boat ramp. He said other boat ramps may have needed improvements, but instead the county will devote money to a new one.

Gainer said he was not sure this should have been the county’s No. 1 priority.

“If it was properly researched, then I would have kept an open mind according to what the research pointed to,” he said.

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